Chris Hadfield’s not-so-normal life since returning to Earth

Chris Hadfield was flung back to Earth from the International Space Station on May 13. So what’s a week like on Earth since he returned? Well for the human guinea pig that Hadfield is, it’s been a battery of tests and more tests.

But being the awesome little shutterbug that he is, he’s still documenting the whole experience so the rest of us can get an idea of what it’s really like to be an astronaut.

Requisite food shot

“It’s cliche, but this is my 1st meal back on Earth. The smell is like an old friend.”

And then the research starts

“This is your brain, on Earth. ESA neurological experiment measuring brainwave changes as I adapted to and from 0G.”

“How I earned my breakfast this morning. Welcome back to Earth.”

“Wired head, chest, arms and feet, learning how the body works when it has been weightless for half a year.”

“How does the body control blood pressure? Scarecrow on a tilt table to measure how.”

“I love MRIs. Vital science, imaging my eroded spine, learning about the body, all with a few bonus minutes to nap.”

“Heart and lungs, on the cardio machine to see exactly how bodies readapt. I have empathy for the cries of newborns.”

“Pegboard task – testing hand-eye coordination as it changes back. Just like a test we did during astronaut selection.”

“Time in weightlessness affects basic 3D perception. Studying how we interpret things using an @esa experiment.”

“Look deep into my eyes. Dr. Gibson uses all the tools to see how I see. It appears my eyes were unchanged. Yay! “

And the daily life of an astronaut come home again

“My Leafs shirt and Russian long underwear, still soaked with sweat from the fiery re-entry, ready for the laundry.”

“After today’s medical tests & physio, here’s one of the several interviews I did, with Toronto TV. Time for a nap!”

“With the research team from U Waterloo. Danielle, Richard and Andrew studying the body’s circulatory system controls.”